As tech and teaching methods develop, pre-school curriculums do, too

Published 2:45 pm, Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Photo: Suzanne Rehak, Freelance Photographer

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Diego Muniz of Katy matches upper and lower case letters at Children's Lighthouse Learning Center as owner Veronica Guerra observes. The center and others in the area have been upgrading curriculums to keep pace with teaching philosophies and technological developments. Diego Muniz of Katy matches upper and lower case letters at Children's Lighthouse Learning Center as owner Veronica Guerra observes. The center and others in the area have been upgrading curriculums to keep pace with teaching philosophies and technological developments. less

Diego Muniz of Katy matches upper and lower case letters at Children's Lighthouse Learning Center as owner Veronica Guerra observes. The center and others in the area have been upgrading curriculums to keep ... more

Photo: Suzanne Rehak, Freelance Photographer

As tech and teaching methods develop, pre-school curriculums do, too

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At area preschool facilities such as Children's Lighthouse Learning Centers, curriculums have been evolving regarding the age-old concept of hands-on learning.

Centers such as the Children's Lighthouse, which revamped its curriculum in the past year, have cut back on using workbooks and increased hands-on activities that often integrate technology.

"It now will be where even with the date or a letter, instead of having the teacher just stand there and tell (the students) about it, the children will physically come up and maneuver the calendar or cut out a letter to better understand it," said Veronica Guerra, owner of the Cinco Ranch location. "We have lowered our learning walls so (the children) can engage with them freely as they learn, and they get to navigate the Smart Board themselves.

"The children are more engaged, and their attention span is better, and it led to deeper conversations with teachers about what they are learning. It is about staying competitive in the market and continuing to develop the best type of learning strategies for kids."

The center inserts technology into as many assignments as possible, incorporating tablets, interactive boards and laptops.

The center, which has 30 locations in seven states with 25 more being developed, cares for children whose ages range from 6 weeks to 12 years. Its core concentration is on kids from infancy to pre-kindergarten.

Sharman Johnston, developer of the center's curriculum, said that, of course, hands-on learning is not new.

"Places like the (Children's Lighthouse ) have had many pieces of (hands-on) learning methods for a long time, but it's also just more difficult to incorporate these practices than to have workbooks," Johnston said. "But educators want to increasingly provide children the very best that's available in our field, so that's what it's about."

Desire to have the most modern, useful curriculum is shared by the more than 20 preschools and other daycare businesses in the Katy area as each looks to separate itself in a competitive market.

Numerous facilities said that they have seen a growing trend for more hands-on, technology-heavy learning experiences and many have joined that movement with evolving lesson plans.

"We do use less workbooks," Hall said. "We do it because of the growing understanding of how to keep integrating what (early childhood experts) know works best for children."

The Kids 'R' Kids pre-school franchise, which has three locations in the Katy area, updated its curriculum six months ago to incorporate engineering, according to Paul Ahrens, one of the location's owners.

The focus includes having children construct toys or make art.

Even at some local preschools where curriculums haven't had updates, such as at My Place Learning Center, Childtime daycare and Tigerland Day Care Center, representatives said their lesson plans increasingly include hands-on learning activities.

"We still use workbooks, but hands-on activities keep evolving and our teachers also evolve with them by having their own methods they incorporate individually in classrooms," said Kim Andrus, assistant director at Tigerland.

"Technology is not necessarily hands-on in the sense that the children are not manipulating a 3D object," Andrews said. "We want more hands-on to be anything that a child manipulates and gets teaching purpose out of it. Technology is to be a resource and enhance an experience, but you still need true hands-on activities."

At the British Private Prep Schools, an elite pre-school franchise that has a location in Katy, owner Cheryl Sage noted the effects of advancement in technology in educating toddlers and older children.

"Children naturally engage (with technology); so it's obvious that tech has replaced some of the things we do, and made our teaching methods the most advanced ever … and preparing these children for elementary school and beyond," Sage said.

Lee Wright, an early childhood development expert at the University of Houston, said children have always learned best through physical activity.

"The entire concept of teaching children is that they are more sensorial - they can learn complicated concepts but need to touch and feel (to best learn them)," Wright said. "The important part for educators is not just talking about being hands-on but actually committing to do so. Many (preschool) facilities appear to be trying to stay as up-to-date as possible."